A Monster Among Men
by Darkglade
Summary: Even in a world full of monsters, she was still the most monstrous of them all.


Father despised her.

He had never said as much to her face, but Nanami knew. She knew because he had been avoiding her like the plague after he had chosen her little brother over her to be his successor, the one who would be taught the family's martial art, the way of the Empty Sword.

It was a futile gesture though. All she had to do was watch them train, fixate her eyes on their every movement and let the information flow straight into her body, as if she had been right beside them all along, training alongside them.

Before long, she had become a master of an art that she had never practiced.

Even so, she would still smile and applaud whenever her little brother came up to her, eager to impress her by showing off whatever he had learned that day.

He never questioned her when she gave him pointers, correcting a flaw in his posture or stance that she should not have known.

It was cute how he trusted her, how little Shichika doted on his sickly, older sister.

It was a good thing. Or perhaps, maybe it was a bad thing? After all . . .

"_You're a monster, Nanami."_

What a cruel thing to say to one's daughter. Especially when the father in question was a huntsman who slew monsters for a living.

Nanami wondered when he would come to slay _her_, the unassuming, monstrous mistake he had brought into this world –

She burst into a coughing fit.

"Big sis! Are you alright?"

Her little brother paused in his demonstration of his super-secret-ultimate technique, glancing at her with wide, innocent eyes. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she knew his "ultimate technique" was just a mishmash of the school's various techniques and that it had a glaring hole in its execution anyway.

". . . Yes, I'm fine." She smiled at him assuredly.

"Okay!" He went back to his demonstration, punching and kicking the air at a speed no normal child could follow.

But she could. She always could. She felt her Semblance poke holes in his form, pointing out glaring errors that he would almost certainly figure out and patch up later.

It was a constant headache to have eyes that could see everything, to have eyes that _knew _everything. She lived her life with a constant pressure in her mind, a burden that never faded, never abated.

Sometimes she wished she could just die.

"Big sis! Want to spar?"

"Hmm?" She glanced at her brother hopping up and down in excitement. "Do you want to lose again so badly?"

"I'll beat you this time! I've learned a lot since then!"

"Father will be back home soon, you know?"

"That's fine! The fight will be over before then!"

Of that, she had no doubt. Of course, she had to be careful to not leave bruises.

Wouldn't want Father finding out about their illicit sparring sessions after all.

xxx

"Come with me, Nanami."

Father's tone brooked no argument. Everyone in their village knew better than to argue with the man who kept them safe from the Grimm.

"Huh? Where are you going with big sis, Father?"

"You needn't concern yourself, Shichika. Go back to practicing."

"Okay!"

He looked at her expectantly, and she slowly stood, following him out the door.

Their house was on the very outskirts of the village, far away from everyone else. Because even though all the villagers knew they needed him to fight off the Grimm, no one wanted to live near him, a hulking brute who could crush a Beowolf between his hands and snap a man's neck like a twig just as easily.

It was just the way people were; people were always afraid of those stronger than themselves.

They stopped in a clearing in the forest, a quiet tranquil place untouched by violence. Her eyes, as alert as ever, spotted animal tracks dotting the clearing. And further off, there were signs of something more menacing:

Grimm tracks.

"I'm sorry, Nanami."

Her eyes shifted to the man who had sired her, the man who was her father in every sense except the most important.

"This is where you will die."

Ah, so that was how it was. People were scared of those stronger than themselves, after all.

And someone like her, an existence who was so absurdly, _monstrously_, strong –

Of course he would fear her. Fear what she _could become_.

He would pull up the weed before it could take root.

His footsteps crunched the grass as he stalked towards her, eyes boring into her own.

This was bad. Or perhaps, it was good? After all, if she died –

She wouldn't be hurt anymore. Wouldn't feel the constant _pain_, the constant icepicks _chipping_ at the back of her skull, _force-feeding _her a constant stream of information day-in and day-out, cramming _more and more _into her brain even when it felt like it might _explode _from all the knowledge shoved into it –

Death . . . would be a pleasant reprieve.

And so, Nanami closed her eyes and waited for the end.

She felt his hands on her neck, two giant trunks curled around her slim twig of a neck.

"Goodbye, Nanami."

He didn't bother telling her that he loved her, a gesture which she appreciated. They both knew it would be a blatant lie.

She waited for the loud _snap_, for the sensation of falling, falling, falling that she was sure would accompany death –

**SPLAT!**

Splat? Nanami was pretty sure that wasn't what a neck snap sounded like.

"Hurk . . . glarg – "

Something wet stained the front of her dress.

Nanami opened her eyes and bore witness to a dying man.

"How . . . how could you try to do that to big sis!"

Her little brother stood behind their father, a hand outstretched into the cavity that had suddenly appeared in their father's chest.

His hands fell away from her neck, swaying from side-to-side before finally tumbling to the ground, unmoving.

Shichika was standing there panting, crying, eyes filled to the brim with an emotion she was unfamiliar with –

"Big sis!"

He enveloped her in a tight embrace, not at all bothered by the blood that stained them both. Slowly, her own arms stretched out to embrace him in turn.

This was bad. Or perhaps, it was good? She had never considered how her own death might make her brother sad, never realized that she did, in fact, care about her brother's happiness in some small measure.

Perhaps she could tolerate living for a little longer.

The sound of snarling interrupted their heartfelt reunion as a pack of Beowolves made themselves known, drawn by the stench of violent death and betrayal in the air.

"Stay away from her!"

Her brother took up a fighting stance, one he had long since perfected after years of training. Now that their father was dead, it fell to him to defend their village against the Grimm, a young boy with Aura yet no Semblance and only his body as a weapon.

But then again, their family always had been exceptional. It was why they had been exiled out here, after all.

Bones shattered, flesh ruptured, and black ink stained the ground. Her little brother walked back to her, victorious.

She hadn't even needed to lift a finger.

"See? I'll protect you, big sis!"

She smiled, kneeling a little so she could pat his head. "I know you will."

It was just a shame that the only thing he couldn't protect her from was herself.

xxx

Nanami thought it quite telling that no one noticed their father's disappearance until the next Grimm attack.

"Hey!" Someone banged loudly on the door. "You in there, old man? There's a bunch of Grimm coming! We need you!"

Shichika opened the door, revealing a middle-aged man whom she vaguely recalled living closest to them.

The man looked down at her brother. "Hey, brat! Where's your dad? We need him!"

"My dad's gone. I killed him."

The man blinked, uncomprehending. "Say what?"

"I killed him," Shichika repeated.

The man's jaw dropped, horror written all across his face. "You – you killed him?! You killed the only man protecting us from the Grimm?! You've doomed us all, brat!"

"No I haven't! _I'll_ protect us from the Grimm!"

"A youngster like you?! Don't make me laugh!"

"I won't; I'll show you!"

Her little brother rushed out the door, out into a battlefield filled with cries of fear, terror, and agony.

Nanami nodded as she finished cooking. Hopefully, he would be back before dinner got cold.

Shichika _hated _eating a cold dinner.

xxx

Someone knocked on the door.

Shichika thought it strange. No one ever visited unless it was to inform Father of the latest Grimm attack, and it was far too soon for another one to have arrived already.

"Mistral police! Open up!"

Police? Shichika vaguely remembered Father telling him and big sis about them and how they should cooperate with them like good boys and girls.

He opened the door, revealing two men in uniform standing outside, guns dangling from their hips.

One of them glanced down at him. "Are you Shichika Yasuri?"

"Yup!"

The man glanced at his partner, who nodded.

"Shichika Yasuri, you are hereby under arrest for patricide." The man pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "If you come quietly boy, we won't have to hurt you."

Shichika was shocked. Under arrest? Him? All he had been doing was protecting big sis!

He wanted to protest, but as the men's menacing looks bore down on him, he felt his words shrivel up and die at the back of his throat.

He meekly shuffled forward –

"Oh? What do we have here?"

Big sis came around the corner, a bundle of laundry in her hands. He had wanted to do all the chores himself, but big sis had insisted that it was her turn.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid that your brother here is under arrest for murdering your father."

Big sis nodded. "Oh, I know. He was doing it to protect me, after all."

The two men flinched, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Be that as it may, I'm afraid we'll still have to arrest him and conduct an investigation. If what you say is true, I'm sure the court will be lenient."

Big sis set down the laundry, walking up to them and gently pushing him behind her.

"I'm afraid I can't let you have him, officer."

The two men narrowed their eyes at her.

"Ma'am, you are obstructing the enforcement of justice. If you will not move, you leave us no recourse but to use _force_ – "

Shichika frowned. Force? If they hurt big sis, he would hurt _them _–

He blinked, realizing that the two men were on their knees, gurgling and gasping for air.

Moments later, two bodies hit the ground, leaving a pair of corpses on their front steps.

"They were sure persistent, hmm?"

"But big sis, Father said we should _listen _to the police . . ."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "What kind of sister would I be if I let my brother get taken away by strange men? Besides, Father also tried to kill me, remember? You shouldn't listen to everything he says."

Shichika paused. Big sis was right. Father _had _tried to kill her, which meant he might have been wrong in other areas as well.

"Now, come help me clean this up."

"Okay!"

xxx

"You want me to send a huntsman . . . to apprehend a _child_?!"

"_This _child_ is huntsman trained, and not only has he allegedly killed his own father, a fully trained huntsman, the two officers we sent to apprehend him have gone missing, so we have reason to believe he may have killed them as well."_

Leonardo Lionheart growled at his scroll. Dealing with local law enforcement was always a headache, especially when they tried to offload their problems onto him.

Unfortunately, it seemed like they would be successful this time.

"Fine. I'll get a huntsman to look into this."

"_I appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Lionheart. It would be a shame if any more people were hurt because you huntsman couldn't keep your own in check."_

The call ended with a _click _before he could reply with an equally scathing remark.

He sighed and rubbed his temple. Unfortunately, getting a huntsman to investigate this would be difficult. Especially since most of the professional huntsmen in Mistral had been . . . taken care of by his _associates_.

Could he send a student team on this mission?

Unlikely. Convincing the other teachers to allow a student team to go on a mission to capture what was effectively a rogue huntsman was a nigh impossibility.

That only left . . .

He paused. Come to think of it, his _associates _were always looking for more allies, weren't they? And a criminal who had already murdered a huntsman and some of Mistral's law enforcement was just the kind of person they could use, right?

He picked up his scroll, dialing a number.

xxx

The village was empty.

Nanami wasn't surprised. If her brother had truly been arrested, that would've left the village defenseless against the Grimm. It would only make sense to flee after voluntarily giving up the only person who would defend them against the tide of darkness.

She thought it strange how far some people would go for their own misguided senses of justice and honor. Was their peace of mind worth more than their livelihoods? Or perhaps they simply thought that her brother might turn on them just as he had turned on his father.

Irrelevant. They were on their own now. But that didn't bother her; their family had always been rather self-sufficient. It helped that she learned how to cook, bake, sew, farm, and fish just by watching the villagers at work.

She wondered if they had left behind anything useful. She wouldn't say no to some free raw materials.

Footsteps crunched behind her.

"Are you alone, girl?"

She turned towards the newcomer, a tall, muscular, brown-haired man.

"I am."

Shichika was off hunting in the forest. Hopefully, he would catch a rabbit or something. Growing boys needed to eat meat to grow.

The man frowned as he glanced to-and-fro. "The village is deserted, yet there are no signs of destruction. Did something happen?"

"No. They just left, that's all."

The man gave her a dubious look. "I see. In any case, might you know of the one known as "Shichika Yasuri"?"

Another man asking after her brother? She didn't think he was quite so popular.

"He is my brother."

He smiled. "Excellent. Can you take me to him?"

"No."

His smile came crashing down. "Why not?"

"I do not think it is a good idea for my brother to meet strange men like you."

"I merely want to speak with him, that is all."

"Even so, my refusal stands."

He crossed his arms, irritated. "Young lady, I don't want to hurt you, but you're making things very difficult for me."

"Good. It was never my intention to make things easy for you in the first place."

"I will take you as a hostage if I must. Surely, he will come to me then."

"He would. He's quite protective of me, after all."

He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Is that so? Then that is what I will do."

The man stepped forward and reached for her.

xxx

Hazel almost didn't get his Aura up in time.

Something _slammed _into the back of his head, sending him stumbling forward and past the spot the girl had seemingly vanished from.

"Oh, you're still alive? What a surprise."

The small, diminutive girl was behind him. He hadn't seen her move. He hadn't even sensed any killing intent. It was as if to this girl, striking someone with enough force to kill a fully-grown adult was a normal, everyday occurrence.

His eyes narrowed at his opponent. Had Leonardo lied to him? Was the sister the true killer, rather than the brother?

. . . Perhaps the headmaster's information was wrong. He didn't think the man had the courage to lie to him, but false information was always a possibility.

He had to reassess the situation. This girl was a threat, but perhaps she and her brother could become assets. Either way, he had to take her seriously.

Pulling out a syringe filled with dust, he stabbed it into his arm.

Fire coursed through his veins, a burning-hot sensation that quickly dulled as his Semblance muted the pain.

He saw her glance at him inquisitively, saw her eyes rove over his body as if she was watching something, something that slithered across his body like a languid snake.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

It was a quiet laugh, more akin to a giggle. Even so, Hazel had never heard something more disturbing in his entire life.

"What's so funny, girl?" he growled.

"Thank you."

He paused. ". . . What?"

"Thank you," she repeated. "For showing me that move of yours."

She smiled. For a girl her age, it should've been a sweet smile, one filled with warmth and love.

But he could tell. Her smile was a vicious one, that of a killer who had finally found worthy prey.

"It feels good, doesn't it? This sensation is quite something, isn't it?"

Her eyes bored into him, those glowing, shadowy discs that seemed to pierce every layer of his defenses.

"Is this how people usually feel? I never thought living could feel so wonderful . . ."

He growled. The longer she talked, the more he was convinced that the girl was crazy.

He would have to subdue her quickly, if only for the sake of his sanity.

Hazel rushed forward, lightning crackling across his bulging muscles as he punched at the girl –

A small, dainty hand met his fist and stopped it in its tracks.

Lightning surged into her body from his own, but despite what must have been enough electricity to fry her very innards to a crisp, the girl merely smiled through it all.

"Is this what your strength is like? Thank you for showing it to me."

Her smile grew, splitting her lips, becoming a monstrous, ugly thing.

_She's a monster._

For the first time in a long, long while, Hazel Rainart knew fear.

xxx

Nanami hummed a happy tune as she wrapped up some cloth she had found in an abandoned home.

Today had been a good day. Or perhaps it was a bad day? She was pretty sure that most people wouldn't consider being attacked by strange men to be a good thing.

But she was glad that this one attacked her. He was why she felt so good, after all.

The moaning mess on the floor let out another groan, catching her attention. Had she not finished him off back there?

That was bad. Or perhaps it was good? It meant she would have one final chance to thank him for doing her such a big favor.

"Do you know what it feels like to live in pain day-in and day-out, a life where constant suffering was the norm?"

Another groan. See, he understood!

"Yes, just imagine what you're feeling right now and stretch it out over the course of your entire life. That was what my existence was like."

That was the curse of her existence, to be born with her Aura unlocked and her Semblance discovered. A Semblance that was constantly active, constantly pushed her body to its limit, constantly _pushed her brain to a pounding headache – _

"You're lucky, you know? To have a Semblance like yours that lets you ignore pain. I would've traded mine for yours in a heartbeat."

Although, that was a moot point now that she possessed them both. It was the only thing it was good for, after all.

Copying others.

Skills, talents, traits, _Semblances_ . . . she could copy them all just by observing them.

That was her Semblance, her curse – _Perfect Observation_.

Well, it wasn't much of a curse anymore now that she could ignore the perpetual state of agony it had locked her in. She was lucky to have run into someone with such a convenient ability.

"Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for freeing me from all the pain and suffering. I'll even do the same for you in return."

She walked up to him, smiling down at his miserable remains.

"Goodbye."

She crushed his head, splattering blood and gore everywhere.

Nanami frowned. Washing the blood out of her dress would be an annoyance.

Oh, well. At least she had the material to make spare dresses now.

xxx

Qrow stared down at one of the most dangerous men in all of Remnant. Or, what was _left _of him at any rate. Which wasn't much.

He had received a tipoff that one of Salem's inner circle was on the move, but he hadn't expected his target to be _dead _at the end of his hunt.

He should be glad. Hazel Rainart had been a thorn in his and Ozpin's sides for a long time, and now he was gone.

But that begged the question: _what _had killed him, especially in such a brutal manner?

These were the questions he had to ask instead of celebrating, and he wasn't sure if he would like the answers to them.

After all, it was entirely possible they were just trading one monster for another.

Sighing, he brought out his scroll and made the call.

"_Qrow. Did you find the target?"_

Straight to the point. Ozpin knew better than to beat around the bush when he was on a mission.

"Yeah, I did. Or what's left of him at any rate."

"_Hazel Rainart is dead? That's wonderful news, Qrow!"_

"I wouldn't be counting my chickens just yet, Oz. For all we know, he could've been killed off because Salem found a bigger, better agent."

"_That is . . . certainly a possibility. And definitely the worst-case scenario."_

No shit. Hazel was a known factor, at least. If he got offed and replaced by someone even meaner, well –

Better the devil you know and all.

"_Can you glean anything from the surroundings? If Hazel was killed by a third-party instead, it would be advantageous if we could contact them."_

As usual, Ozpin was preempting his recruitment speech already. Typical.

"Whole village seems deserted, but the buildings are still intact. No signs of violence either, beyond whatever fight seems to have gotten the big guy killed."

"_Have you searched the surrounding area? It's possible Mr. Rainart's killer is still nearby."_

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it."

Qrow tucked his scroll back into his pocket. He really hoped his Semblance didn't make him get jumped by whatever killed Rainart.

"Here's hoping that whoever, or _whatever _it is doesn't have a thing against birds."

A jet-black feather fell to the ground as a crow took to the air in search of the unknown.


End file.
